DOE ‘emergency’ power plant orders help grid reliability: NERC official

However, the Midcontinent Independent System Operator's reliability remains at “high risk,” NERC’s John Moura said, and it's unclear whether its fast-track interconnection process will help.

By Ethan Howland • Feb. 20, 2026

VPP vs. VPP: Customer-owned DER aggregators challenge Xcel-owned batteries in Minnesota docket

The Minnesota decision could affect how regulators see virtual power plants nationwide.

By Herman K. Trabish • Feb. 19, 2026

Explore the Trendline➔

Cybersecurity of the Grid

In addition to presenting opportunities for growth, AI is exacerbating cyber threats with more sophisticated malware that is easier than ever to build and deploy. The rise of distributed energy resources also creates more opportunities for attack. 

By Utility Dive staff

CAISO requests input on large load considerations report

“We're getting a lot of questions about how the ISO manages large loads and plans for large loads,” said Danielle Mills, CAISO’s infrastructure policy development principal.

By Diana DiGangi • Feb. 18, 2026

Powering the AI era: Grid technologies for America’s rising energy demand

The electric sector should optimize existing infrastructure while also exploring emerging transmission technologies, writes the Electric Power Research Institute’s Andrew Phillips.

By Andrew Phillips • Feb. 18, 2026

Hidden assets: Why data centers don’t have to be the villain

Conventional wisdom treats data centers as inflexible monsters. That characterization made sense a decade ago, but not now, writes GridX CCO Scott Engstrom.

By Scott Engstrom • Feb. 17, 2026

CISA seeks critical infrastructure sector input on cyber-incident reporting rule

CISA announced a series of town hall meetings with affected industries about the pending rule. The one for the energy and nuclear sectors is scheduled for March 9.

By Eric Geller • Feb. 13, 2026

The rate case for grid resilience: Why climate change isn’t just about storms

Utilities that delay resilience investments hoping that global climate mitigation efforts will reduce the need for local hardening are taking a dangerous gamble, writes Kai Karlstrom, director of solutions engineering at Repath.

By Kai Karlstrom • Feb. 13, 2026

Data centers pursue on-site power as affordability tops utility concerns: BofA

Hyperscalers are looking to secure power fast, “firm and smooth with storage, then layer in solar as the lowest-cost marginal energy,” wrote Bank of America Securities analyst Dimple Gosai.

By Robert Walton • Feb. 13, 2026

Polish power grid hack offers lessons for critical infrastructure operators, CISA says

The targeted Polish wind and solar farms used OT control devices from multiple companies, including Hitachi, Mikronika and Moxa, but all of the devices used default passwords.

By Eric Geller • Feb. 11, 2026

Electrification is outpacing investment. A federal trust fund could close the gap.

A federal trust fund for energy infrastructure could facilitate grid expansion and maintenance, writes Zane Kinsky, a Clean Energy Leadership Institute 2025 Fellow.

By Zane Kinsky • Feb. 11, 2026

FERC rejects AEP request to sell capacity in upcoming auction

Critics argued AEP utilities were trying to offload capacity they acquired to serve data centers that didn’t materialize. FERC appeared to echo that rationale, saying AEP’s “problem” is simply excess capacity resulting from “its own business decisions.”

By Ethan Howland • Updated Feb. 11, 2026

Data centers can tap batteries, microgrids for faster interconnection: NEMA

Battery systems are “increasingly critical” for data center operators willing to pay a premium for resilience and faster time to power, industry analysts say.

By Brian Martucci • Feb. 10, 2026

New Jersey utilities begin to develop virtual power plants

The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities asked for information from utilities on distributed energy resource hosting constraints and how new interconnections can be accelerated.

By Robert Walton • Feb. 9, 2026

AI’s power surge: 5 ways AI could make the grid more reliable, efficient and flexible

While AI is accelerating energy demand, it also holds the potential to manage the grid more efficiently. Learn the 5 ways AI could make the grid more reliable, efficient, and flexible.

By Piyush Mishra • Feb. 9, 2026

The strategic case for composite poles: Targeted deployment, maximum grid value

Targeted deployment of composites, guided by a robust decision-tree framework, ultimately leads to both optimal system performance and return on investment.

Feb. 9, 2026

AI, ICE protests and karaoke: DistribuTECH comes to San Diego

“As an industry, we’ve gone from ‘Keep the lights on and stay out of the news,’ to now being the lead story for energy independence, national security and AI development,” said Del Misenheimer, GE Vernova’s VP and CEO of grid automation and software.

By Robert Walton • Feb. 4, 2026

House lawmakers press FERC on affordability, reliability and gas

Commissioners cited inadequate transmission infrastructure as a major concern. A gas-fired project in the PJM Interconnection needs $1 billion in grid upgrades to come online, said Commissioner David Rosner.

By Ethan Howland • Feb. 4, 2026

Coal plant owners say DOE ‘emergency’ order to run it violates Constitution

By mandating the generator’s availability to operate, the order “constitutes both a physical taking and a regulatory taking” of property by the government without just compensation or due process, they said in a request for rehearing. 

By Ethan Howland • Updated Feb. 2, 2026

How to unlock a tidal wave at the grid edge

Solar plus storage can unlock latent distribution grid capacity at scale.

By Sebastian Blake, Product, Octopus Energy • Feb. 2, 2026

2026 US power sector outlook

Read Utility Dive's road map to the year ahead for FERC, affordability, renewable energy, distributed energy resources and more. 

By Meris Lutz • Jan. 30, 2026

PJM prepares to call on data center, large load backup generation to avoid blackouts

However, it is unclear how much generation could be available, and the grid operator doubts it will be needed during the ongoing bitter cold.

By Ethan Howland • Updated Jan. 30, 2026

NERC forecasts peak demand to rise 24% on new data center loads

“The system is changing faster than the infrastructure needed to support it,” said John Moura, NERC's director of reliability assessments and performance analysis.

By Robert Walton • Jan. 30, 2026

FERC in 2026: Rising costs cloud regulators’ options on data centers, transmission and more

DOE’s colocation proposal and transmission planning reforms will set FERC’s agenda this year against a backdrop of rising concern over affordability, former commission chairmen and experts say in our 2026 outlook.

By Ethan Howland • Jan. 29, 2026

US coal generation jumped 31% during Winter Storm Fern: EIA

Gas generation in the Lower 48 states increased 14%, while solar, wind and hydropower contributions declined from the week before, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

By Robert Walton • Jan. 29, 2026

How utilities can prepare for the next wave of data center growth

The U.S. grid is unprepared to handle data center power needs. Utilities want to invest, but permitting hurdles remain a major impediment, writes Nexans North America President Tim King.

By Tim King • Jan. 28, 2026